Talk of Alaska

Alaska volcanoes are sometimes restless. In many cases, activity elevates and then dies back down, but Mount Spurr, near Anchorage appears to be waking up. Scientists now say an eruption near the state’s largest city is more likely than not in coming weeks or months. What could a big eruption mean for health, infrastructure and air travel? We hear from scientists and public health officials on this Talk of Alaska. HOST: Lori Townsend GUESTS: Dr. George Conway - Chief Medical Officer, Municipality of AnchorageKristi Wallace - Volcanologist, Alaska Volcano ObservatoryKari Wiederkehr - Disaster Recovery Coordinator, Anchorage Office of Emergency Management RELATED: What to know about Mount Spurr’s likely eruptionSpurr ashfall could divert flights to Fairbanks. Airport officials say they're ready.Anchorage Schools prepare for Mount Spurr eruptionResources for emergency preparedness | Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Spring yard work in March? Southcentral and other areas of Alaska saw very low snowfall throughout the winter.

Alaska imports the vast majority of food from other states and countries making our state vulnerable to supply line disruptions and driving up prices. The Alaska Food Policy Council aims to help support more in-state food production and distribution. What are the unique challenges and opportunities for Alaskans interested in boosting the annual harvest? What do food policy advocates think of the proposed Alaska Department of Agriculture? We discuss the ongoing work and AFPC's upcoming conference in Kodiak on this Talk of Alaska.

The ombudsman helps elevate the voices of everyday Alaskans when they have a complaint with or seek change in government services.

We discuss how local news works, and how to think critically about the news and information you consume.

We discuss what is known, and what has service-providers concerned, about the ongoing freezes on federal funds, on this Talk of Alaska.

President Trump has spoken at length about his love of tariffs. He has paused, for now, a broad tax on imports from Canada and Mexico, but a 10% tariff on Chinese goods is in effect, along with a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum. The President has also laid out a timeline for reciprocal tariffs to be applied to any country that taxes US goods. What will these new taxes mean for Alaska commerce, the cost of construction, the seafood industry and grocery prices? Economic experts join us to break down the numbers on this Talk of Alaska.

President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders in his first few days in office. Some have been celebrated, some caused confusion and some left federal employees uncertain about their future. One order really struck a chord with Alaskans: the executive order that changed the name of North America’s highest peak back to Mount McKinley from its Koyukon Athabascan name, Denali. We asked what you thought and heard from more than 700 Alaskans! Did you weigh in? We discuss the importance of place names and why they matter on this Talk of Alaska.

As a disruptive climate contributes to more damaging storms, floods and wildfires, how prepared are you to make it through an emergency?

How does carbon sequestration technology work, and what are its potential applications in Alaska? We discuss carbon capture, use, and storage on this Talk of Alaska.

Former President Jimmy Carter’s death has Alaskans reflecting on how he shaped the state. The Alaska conservation law Carter signed doubled the size of America’s National Park System. It vastly expanded wildlife refuges, among other set-asides. Many Alaskans were angry, saying the 1980 law locked up land, but it also gave Alaskans certain access rights that are unique in federal land management. We discuss Carter's legacy of conservation, and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act on this Talk of Alaska.

Alaska’s oil and gas sector has long been in decline. From a peak of oil production in the 80s, more than 2 million barrels per day, to a 75% drop to under 500,000 today. With some projects in development now and a new extraction friendly administration headed to the white house, will Alaska’s fossil fuel sector boom again? Or will the world’s move toward renewables change industry development plans here? We discuss the future of Alaska’s energy industry on Talk of Alaska.

Connecting Alaskans, from Utqiaġvik to Juneau, hear festive greetings, well wishes and sentiments from those who call Alaska home. With listeners all over the state, and even in the Lower 48 and Hawaii, this show is the perfect opportunity to send love to friends and family, no matter where they may be.

As the temperatures outside drop, the temptation to curl up next to the fireplace with a good book only grows. A memorable novel can take us out of the dark and cold and transport us somewhere entirely new. So what do bookstore owners and librarians say are the best new reads? And what role do these gathering places play in the larger community? We discuss reading recommendations for the colder seasons on this Talk of Alaska.

A safe, stable and supportive home is important for helping young people start life off on solid emotional ground, but sudden tragedies, accidents, illness and dysfunction can lead to children needing foster care. It can be hard to find nurturing adults to provide care, especially for kids who need intensive, therapeutic care. A new campaign seeks to raise awareness and recruit new foster care families. We learn more on this Talk of Alaska.

Alaska's darkest season is a great time of year to see new movies and documentaries with family and friends. The Anchorage International Film Festival gets underway on Friday, December 6, and features a packed schedule of documentaries, short films, comedy, animation and discussions with filmmakers. It will be a week filled with creative and thoughtful content from both Alaska filmmakers and international selections. We hear from filmmakers and the festival directors on this Talk of Alaska.

Whales hold a deep and an outsized role in Alaska’s culture. The huge sea mammals are a centuries long mainstay of steady protein for Alaska Native communities and they invoke mystique and power for many Alaskans. A dead fin whale that washed up near Anchorage is bringing hundreds of spectators to the beach. What is the whale teaching biologists about the health of Alaska’s whale populations and by extension the health of oceans? We’ll learn more on this Talk of Alaska

Pedestrian safety should be a major consideration when transportation corridors are being built. But for decades, roads and highways were designed to create speedy and efficient movement of vehicles, not people on foot or on a bicycle. As understanding grows of the health, safety and community benefits from creating walk and bike routes, city planners and traffic engineers are getting better at designing for the safety of all users. Anchorage has had a lethal stretch of pedestrian deaths in recent months. We discuss what’s being done to lower these tragedies on this Talk of Alaska.

On this Talk of Alaska, we revisit our 2023 discussion on darkness, and finding ways to enjoy the short days of winter.

The harm that comes from too much cell phone time, especially for young people, has become much clearer in recent years. So much so that the U.S. Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms, similar to the warnings on cigarettes and alcohol, because of what he calls a youth mental health crisis. Education leaders are grappling with how to keep kids focused during the school day while balancing logistics and safety concerns. Should cellphones be banned in school? If so, what should those bans look like? We discuss it on this Talk of Alaska.